LeBron James is no stranger to the Olympics. But it’s been a while.
The NBA great is in Paris, making his return to the Summer Games — as a USA flag bearer, no less — for the first time in 12 years.
The last time we saw James representing Team USA, he won Gold in London in 2012 alongside Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Anthony Davis, who had not yet set foot on an NBA court.
James skipped the 2016 Rio Games after winning his 2016 NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and in 2021, James was among several NBA stars to withdraw from consideration for the 2021 Tokyo Games, in favor of rest.
The allure of Paris and the prospect of his last shot at Olympic gold have brought James back into the mix. He’ll play again alongside Durant and Davis, a now 12-year NBA veteran and James’ championship teammate with the Los Angeles Lakers.
He’ll look to add to an Olympic record that’s not perfect, but certainly one of the most prolific in the sport’s history. Let’s take a look back at James through the years as he’s represented Team USA at the highest level of international competition.
2004 Athens Olympics
This is where the blemish comes into play. James’ first trip to the Olympics was as a member of arguably the most disappointing team in USA Basketball history.
Fresh off a Rookie of the Year campaign with the Cleveland Cavaliers that somehow exceeded gargantuan expectations, James was selected as a member of a vaunted youth contingent alongside Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade on a Team USA roster headlined by NBA veterans Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson. It was not a formula for success.
Team USA stumbled out of the gates in a stunning 92-73 loss to Puerto Rico in its first game in group play. Two games later, Team USA lost again, this time to Lithuania. That second loss matched the loss tally of all previous U.S. men’s basketball Olympic teams combined.
The Americans advanced to the knockout round despite their struggles, but met more disappointment in the medal rounds. An Argentina team featuring Manu Ginóbili and Luis Scola upended Team USA in the semifinals, relegating the Americans to the bronze-medal game. There, Team USA salvaged bronze with a 104-96 win over Lithuania.
It was the third time ever that USA didn’t win Olympic gold in men’s basketball. The first time was linked to one of the biggest scandals in Olympics history. The second prompted Team USA to dump college players and trot out the Dream Team.
It’s not fair to pin Team USA’s 2004 failures on James. He played almost strictly a reserve role, playing 18 minutes or fewer off the bench in every game but one. In the group play finale against Angola, James led USA in minutes with 27 and tallied 11 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals. USA won, 89-53. He played just three minutes in the semifinal loss to Argentina and scored six points in seven minutes off the bench in the bronze medal game.
2004 Olympic line: 5.4 ppg, 1.6 apg, 1 rpg, 0.8 spg, 59.4% FG, 30% 3PT, bronze medal
2008 Beijing Olympics
The 1992 Olympics brought the Dream Team. The 2008 Games introduced the Redeem Team.
Gone were Iverson and Duncan. Back were James, Wade and Anthony, this time as seasoned NBA All-Stars and leaders. Bryant joined the team in his Olympic debut as captain. Mike Krzyzewski took over as head coach.
The mission was clear: move past the embarrassment of the 2004 Olympics and subsequent bronze-medal finish at the 2006 FIBA World Championships. The Redeem Team got the memo.
There was no coming off the bench for James at this point in his career. He started in a 101-70 romp over host China to open group play and tallied 18 points, six rebounds and three assists. With James as a featured player alongside Wade, Bryant, Anthony and Paul, Team USA rolled through the group stage, winning each of its five games by 23 points or more. It concluded group play with a 106-57 blowout of Germany and finished with a 32.2-point average margin of victory in five games.
In the knockout rounds, USA beat Australia in the quarterfinals to set up a semifinal rematch with 2004 foe Argentina. James tallied 15 points, five assists and two rebounds in a 101-81 Team USA win. He then posted 14 points, six rebounds and three assists in a 118-107 gold medal-game win over a Spain team led by Pau Gasol and Ricky Rubio.
James finished those Olympics as Team USA’s second leading scorer behind Wade, its leader in steals and in the top three in rebounds and assists.
2008 Olympic line: 15.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.8 apg, 2.4 spg, 1.0 bpg, 60.2% FG, 46.4% 3PT, gold medal
2012 London Olympics
The 2004 disaster was a distant memory when James suited up for his third Olympic team. By 2012, he was an eight-time NBA All-Star, three-time MVP and fresh off his first NBA championship with the Miami Heat.
With all of the above, plus a gold medal from Beijing secure in his trophy case, 2012 amounted to a victory lap for James. He accepted the invitation to London to star alongside Bryant, Anthony and Paul again, in addition to Kevin Durant in his Olympic debut. It added up to one of the greatest collections of basketball talent ever assembled, with all five at or near the peaks of their certain Hall of Fame careers.
The results matched the talent. Gold in 2012 was inevitable. It was just a matter of who — if anyone — could stand out on a team with such a tremendous roster.
Somebody did. But it wasn’t James.
That honor belonged to Durant, who averaged 19.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 48.5% from the field and an astounding 52.3% from 3 in an eight-game romp to the gold medal. The London Olympics started a three-Games run for Durant that makes a strong case for him to be the best men’s basketball Olympian ever.
But this is no slight on James, who ranked among the team leaders in points, rebounds, assists and steals to secure his place as one of USA’s all-time great Olympians on one of its all-time great teams. USA won its five group games by an average margin of 38.2 points, then beat Australia and Argentina in the knockout round by a combined 59 points.
Marc and Pau Gasol helped Spain give USA a game in the gold-medal matchup. But Durant (30 points, nine rebounds) and James (19 points, seven rebounds, four assists) led the way in a 107-100 win.
2012 Olympic line: 13.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 5.6 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.3 bpg, 60.3% FG, 30% 3PT, gold medal
James now returns alongside Durant for what is surely his last Olympic run at 39 years old, seeking his third gold medal. His Olympic legacy, like his basketball legacy as a whole, has long been secure.
